ACNielsen Acquires Internet Firm www.consult
NEWS RELEASE
ACNielsen Acquires Internet Research Firm
www.consult
Strengthens Company’s e-Research
Capabilities in Asia Pacific
Auckland – 23 November
2000 – ACNielsen, the global leader in market research,
today announced it had acquired the Australian Internet
research company, www.consult, in a move that will
strengthen its leadership in the burgeoning e-research
industry in Asia Pacific.
www.consult provides a broad
range of Internet research services, including the region's
largest online user survey and influential sector reports
covering online brokering and banking, advertising,
retailing and Internet infrastructure. Since its start up in
1995, www.consult has become a prominent player in the
Australian e-commerce industry, with annual revenue growth
exceeding 40% and a portfolio of global blue-chip clients
including Yahoo!, Lucent, Citibank and IBM.
ACNielsen’s
acquisition of www.consult follows closely the September
launch of ACNielsen.online, a new business in Asia Pacific
that conducts market research over the Internet, and about
the Internet. Another ACNielsen business unit, ACNielsen
eRatings.com, continues to roll out its Nielsen//NetRatings
service, which is fast-becoming the global leader in
measuring Internet audiences, advertising and usage
activity.
These recent Internet initiatives are shaping
an important new business stream for ACNielsen, which has
businesses in retail measurement, consumer panel services,
media measurement and customised research.
“This is a
great fit for ACNielsen. It combines www.consult's proven
Internet research business model with ACNielsen's global
market penetration and industry leadership,” said Michael P.
Connors, vice chairman of ACNielsen Corporation.
"The
Internet is revolutionising the way we do business, and our
clients are increasingly turning to ACNielsen to better
understand the new economies, and the business opportunities
they offer. Adding www.consult to our expanding suite of
research services on, or about, the Internet takes us to the
next level in helping our clients understand and use the Web
as a strategic and operational business tool," Connors said.
From its base in Sydney, Australia, www.consult has been
expanding its research services into Asia, recently opening
an office in the leading Internet hub of Hong Kong in
response to growing interest from Asian-based companies.
www.consult’s research now covers some 12 countries in the
region.
“We are very excited about the future with
ACNielsen, which has the most extensive research coverage
and credentials in Asia Pacific," said Ramin Marzbani,
principal of www.consult, who will continue to head the
business following the acquisition. "This agreement will
greatly upgrade our regional capability and provide an
opportunity to market our high-level analytics to a wider
group of companies."
"We are moving closer to the new
paradigm in Asia Pacific, where traditional offline
businesses need to build online capabilities as part of
their service delivery. By joining with ACNielsen,
www.consult is well-positioned to service the vast research
needs set to unfold," he said.
ENDS
About
ACNielsen.online
ACNielsen.online provides a range of
information services to help companies optimise their
business strategies, using such techniques as e-Panel
measurement, web clinics, e-mail surveys, web site tracking
and off line surveys.
About ACNielsen eRatings.com
ACNielsen eRatings.com offers the proprietary
Nielsen//NetRatings audience measurement service that
collects real-time data from more than 190,000 Internet
users around the world. This represents the largest media
research panel of Internet users in the industry.
About
ACNielsen
ACNielsen, with 1999 revenue of US$1.5
billion, is the world’s leading market research firm,
offering measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics,
consumer attitudes and behaviour, and new and traditional
media in more than 100 countries. Clients include leading
consumer product manufacturers and retailers service firms,
media and entertainment companies and the Internet
community.